Mrs Sarah Devall, nee Cross, was born in the UK about 1827. Her parents were John Cross, a stonemason with the Van Diemen's Land Company, and Frances Terry (1799-1852). The Cross family came to Van Diemen's Land in 1832 on the ship Forth. When Sarah was 20 she married 27-year-old James Devall on 24 Dec 1846 in Launceston. James had arrived in Van Diemen's Land as a convict on the David Clarke on 4 Oct 1841. He was still serving his sentence when he applied to marry Sarah Cross, who had come to the colony as a child.

Sarah and James had five children. Their eldest might have been Elizabeth. Their second daughter Sarah Louisa was born on 26 Dec 1846, but died aged 22 after a long and painful illness on 16 April 1869. Their only son William Maples was born on 8 Apr 1849 and died aged four on 28 Aug 1853. Emily, born on 26 Jun 1851, married Thomas Potter on 2 Feb 1885. Frances Mary, who was born on 21 Oct 1857 and died on 30 Jun 1946, is also pictured in the Family Album.

At the time of the Tasmanian International Exhibition Sarah and her daughter Mary were living in Paterson Street, Launceston, where they ran a small private school for ladies. Sarah died on 22 Mar 1914 in her 88th year and was buried at the Charles Street Cemetery. She had been a colonist for 82 years. Her husband James had gone to New Zealand and died at Wanganui in 1895.

Marion Sargent Nov 2007 & Meredith Van Ingen Jun 2009

Our project is continuing to gather family history data on the people who had season tickets to the Exhibition. If you have information you would like to contribute please email us at launcestonfamilyalbum@gmail.com.